India vs England Prediction: Batting depth can see England to final

| Wednesday 4th March 2026, 17:08

Wednesday 4th March 2026, 17:08

Jamie Pacheco previews India v England on Thursday March 5, with a start time of 13:30, as India look to beat England at Mumbai and book their place in the final once again.

Jamie thinks England have the tools to beat India on a flat one, while also liking the option of both teams getting to 180 runs in the game. Here are his India vs England Betting Tips...

India vs England Betting Tips

0.5 pts Back England to win @ 7/4
0.5 pts Back Both Teams to Score 180+ Runs @ 5/4

*odds correct at time of publication

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India

India did what they needed to do against the West Indies on Sunday: win.

But it wasn’t all straightforward stuff. At one stage, the unlikely pairing of Shai Hope and Roston Chase at the top of the order was going well and had they got to about 210, as they probably should have, it could have been a very different story.

Two wickets from the superb Jasprit Bumrah – those of Chase and dangerman Shimron Hetmyer - were probably what saved India from a total that was too big to chase but boy, did Sanju Samson play his part, too.

His 97 not out meant India never felt out of it and that he did so at a fast lick meant run rate was never going to be an issue.

Interestingly, they only used five bowlers, with Shivam Dube not getting a go.

Varun Chakravarthy had a rare bad day out, but he’s still got plenty of credit in the bank, so they’re unlikely to bring in Kuldeep Yadav for him.

India Likely XI

Abishek Sharma, Samson, Kishan, Sky Yadav, Varma, Pandya, Dube, Axar, Chakravarthy, Bumrah, Arshdeep

England

Speaking of credit in the bank, or lack of it, how much more of it does Jos Buttler have? Five single-figure scores in a row is pretty poor, especially in that key position at the top of the order where openers getting off to a flyer can go a long way to winning you the game.

But though they could well come up with plenty of alternatives to Buttler, they’re likely to stick with him. A failure here and an exit from the competition for England, and it may well be the last time we see him in an England T20 shirt, though.

At the other end of the spectrum, Will Jacks continues to perform wonders. 2-23 with the ball was followed by another vital cameo with the bat against New Zealand, this time 32 off 18. Yes, that led to yet another Player of the Match award. To think he wasn’t even a certainty to play before the WC got underway.

Rehan Ahmed had an excellent game, too. 2-28 and a brutal 19 off 7. It was harsh on Jamie Overton, the man missing out for Ahmed to come in, but such is cricket, and Ahmed is likely to keep his place, though it may prove to be a bit unwise to just play two seamers.

England Likely XI

Buttler, Salt, Brook, Banton, Bethell, Curran, Jacks, Ahmed/Overton, Dawson, Archer, Rashid.

Pitch and conditions

We’re at Mumabi, traditionally a very good batting wicket. Last time we were here the Windies were smashing 254 against Zimbabwe.

That sort of first innings score is unlikely with two much better bowling attacks than what Zimbabwe have, but the average run rate per over in T20Is is 9.13, so 180 should be the bare minimum batting first. It may not be enough. Both sides will probably want to chase anyway.

India vs England odds

India are 4/9, England are 7/4.

It could well be a case of win the toss, chase, win the match. It could also be a case of the match being decided by how well England play Jasprit Bumrah.

0.5 pts Back England to win @ 7/4

On that note, as well as he began with those two wickets, he did end up going at just over 9 an over and if England can do to him what the Windies did in terms of runs scored against him, they’re halfway there to winning the game.

You could argue England have a couple more problems than India have with Buttler, the absence of a world-class seamer beyond Jofra Archer and question marks around Phil Salt as well, just a few of them.

But they bat extremely deep, much more so than India, and that could make a huge difference. As could their fielding, which has been better than India’s, too.

So I think they’re worth a bet at the price, but no need to go overboard in terms of stakes just because it’s a semi-final.

India vs England - Match Winner (2-Way)

England

7/4

Bet Here

Odds correct at time of publishing.

0.5 pts Back Both Teams to Score 180+ Runs @ 5/4

We were desperately unlucky in the first semi-final when we had both teams to score 170 runs at 13/10 and SA only managed 169! As we all know, New Zealand chased that with the greatest of ease so we were essentially one run short of a good winner. A horrible way to lose a good bet, but that’s not going to put us off going for a very similar bet at 5/4; similar because the line is 180 runs for both teams this time.

The extra 10 runs is completely understandable: it’s a considerably better wicket here in Mumbai and the stats say so.

Unless there are 3-4 wickets in the first 7-8 overs for the side batting first, we really should get those 180 first up and chasing them should be even easier. It’s worth it.

India vs England - Price Boosts

Both Teams To Score 180+ Runs

5/4

Bet Here

Odds correct at time of publishing.

Jamie Pacheco Cricket P/L 2025: